Quietly, Evidence Mounts for Active Volcanism and Water On Mars

When a pair of scientists announced last month that they had found what appeared to be recent evidence for liquid water acting on the surface of Mars, most in the planetary-science community were flabbergasted — including themselves. “I was brought kicking and screaming to this result,” Ken Edgett said at a June press conference held to announce the startling Mars-water conclusion. Edgett and Mike Malin, of Malin Space Science Systems, authored the research paper arguing that newfound surface features on Mars seem to be the handiwork of groundwater gushing out of steep hillsides.